Be vewy vewy quiet... I\'m hunting for a new doc!
I saw a very interesting show the other day. While making up a summarized, illustrated version of my symptom journal on a Word document, my roommates were watching "Mystery Diagnosis". This poor woman was going through test after test after test, doctors trying random, un-educated surgeries, and finally, they told her "we can't help you, we give up." The woman was devastated. At that point in the show, one of my roommates said "it's because it's all in your head!" But then by some miracle, the woman travelled to a university hospital where the doctors said "we will find what's wrong with you." And they did. She had a very rare condition, that only a few doctors even knew about. There was no way the doctors in a regular hospital would know about it. So why didn't they tell her to check out the university hospital? Why couldn't they at least come up with a "next step" for her? I worked for a historical/tourist attraction for many years, starting when I was 14. There was no way I could know everything even by the end of my six years there! If I didn't know something though, I would personally walk the person with the question to someone who would know the answers, or I would write down the name of a book which would answer their question, and then I would go and read more about that question myself long after the tourist was gone. It's no different with doctors. If I go up to a doctor and ask "what's wrong with me?" and they say "I don't know", I sure as hell want to hear "but here is what you should do, and then come back to me when you have an answer so that I won't get stumped again." What happens if they get a second patient with the same problem and they still don't know the answer? It's like being called on in school. Teacher: What's 3x3?Child: I don't know?*next day*Teacher: What's 3x3?Child: I don't know?Teacher: Why don't you know yet? I know I'm being cynical and condescending. Not all doctors are this bad. But what's the point of getting a degree in medicine if all you want to do all day is swab for strepth throat, tell people to "walk it off" and prescribe blood pressure medication when applicable? Like I mentioned, I'm making a nice compilation of my medical history starting in 2002 and really picking up in the last three years. It's for my new doctor, but I don't know who that will be yet. I just know that a chronological, point form "handout" will be easier for them to study than me babbling for 15 minutes about my life. It even has illustrations, because I find it hard to point to my own back to show where I'm hurting. It's something they can take to their office and spend 15 minutes reading before telling me if they're inspired enough to help me or not. I've included summaries of all my tests so I won't have to pay to have them forwarded to the new doctor only to find out that they won't help me either. When I finally find one who will take me, then I'll spend the money to get the official documents sent to them. I'm really nervous about finding a new doctor. I just don't know what to say, what's relevant and what's not. Where do I even begin?
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